Balancing of engines



L. F. G. BUTLER.

BALANCING 0F ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1920.

1,340,823. 1 mm May 18,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Inveizibn Leonard Ffiizzlieir L. E. G. BUTLER.

BALANCING OF ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1920.

1,340,823. Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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I ticularly applicable thereto.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD FREDERICK GEORGE BUTLER, 0F BRISTOL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO ALBERT HUBERT ROY FEDDEN AND ONE-THIRD TO COSMOS ENGINEER- ING COMPANY LIMITED, BOTH OF BRISTOL, ENGLAND.

I BALANCING OF ENGINES.

Application filed April 12,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEONARD FREDERICK GEORGE BUTLER, a subject of the King of England, residing at Bristol, in the county of Gloucester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Balancing of Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to the balancing of engines, and while not limited to radial engines having several cylinders, is nevertheless more par- As is well known the total load uponengine crank-pins due to inertia and centrifu- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma s; 1920.

1920. Serial No. 373,425.

' radial engine in which the cylinders are arranged in one plane, and in which a master connecting-rod is used in conjunction with auxiliary rods, the whole combination being connected to a single crank-pin. The crank-shaft is shown at A, with cranks B and a crank pin C, The main connectingrod D is mounted at its end upon the crankpin 0 and has additional wrist-pins Eflto which the auxiliary rods F are connected.

sions G .of the usual type are illustrated as the forces set up during rotation of the engal force, varies considerably both during the cycle of rotation and during changes in the circumstances under which the engine is working. It is a difficult matter to counter-' balance these forces exactly and attempts to do so by balance-weights fixed to the crankshaft result in many cases in excessive bearing-loads being set up upon the crank-pin. To provide for these forces, in some cases the crank-pin length has been increased, but this is not entirely satisfactory since the longer the pin, the greater is its liability to bend. The present invention therefore has for one of its objects to provide a method of balancing engines which shall not necessarily increase the load upon the crank-pin, and the primary feature of the invention consists in the combination with an engineconnecting-rod-end of a balance-weight rotatably mounted on the connectmg-rod-end, or a part rigid therewith, and attached to the crank-shaft to rotate therewith by a connection permitting of free movements toward and from the connectingrrod-end.

F or a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only, one constructional form of balancing arrangement embodying the above and other features of theinvention. I

In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in seetion, of a portion of the engine mechamsm, and

.Fig. 2 is a front elevat'on of a balance- Like letters 'of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings. 1 V

The mechanism illustrated is part of a 7 ine O To counteract other forces, without necpin, there are provided, according to the present lnvention, further balance-weights H. These balance-weights H are rotatably mounted at one end upon extensions D on- Rigid balance-weights or balancing exten essarily putting more load upon the crank- 'a balance-weight H is arranged adjacent one.

of the balancing extensions G and is connected thereto by a pin-andslot connection. I

This connection comprises a bolt J with a nut J and collar. J the latter being square on the outside and being received in an elongated slot H in the balance-weight.

In operation it will be seen that the centrifugal force set up in the balance-weights I-I, due to rotation of the crankshaft, is free to o erate directly upon the connecting-rod end D, that is, not through the intermediary of the crank-pin. Consequently, the

- are still left free to exe rt their centrifugal balance-weight to said crank-shaft to cause it to rotate therewith, but permitting free movement of said weight toward and away from the connecting-rod end.

2. In a reciprocating engine the combination of a piston, a crank-shaft, a balance- Weight fixed on said crank-shaft, a connecting rod coupling said piston to said crankshaft, a balance-weight rotatively mounted on the end of the connecting-rod and situated adjacent said fixed balance-weight, and a pin-and-slot connection whereof the slot is radial to the crank-shaft between said two balance-weights.

3. In a reciprocating engine, the combination of a crank-shaft, a plurality of cylinders, a piston in each of said cylinders, a

' master connecting-rod coupling one of said pis ons to said crank shaft, auxiliary connecting-rods articulated to said master connecting-rod and connected one to'each of said other pistons, a balance-Weight rotatively mounted on the big end of said master connecting-rod on an axis parallel with the axis of said crank-shaft, and means coupling said balance-weightto said crank-shaft to rotate therewith, but permitting free movement of said Weight radially to said crankshaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. I LEONARD FREDERICK GEORGE BUTLER. 

